1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical screws and fasteners used in dentistry and maxillofacial orthopedics, and particularly to a bony bracket screw that has a bracket arm extending at an oblique angle to the shaft or shank of the screw for supporting a distractor or other maxillofacial fixing and dental appliance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Distraction osteogenesis is a process of lengthening bone in a gradual manner by distracting or separating one surgically sectioned bony part from an adjacent surgically sectioned bony part under traction with the use of a distractor device while the growth of new bone tissue rejoins the separated bones. The distraction is typically performed in small daily increments, and generally results in the formation of new bone between the separated bony parts. The procedure is used to lengthen short bones or generate new bone in a defective or deficient bony site without the need for a bone graft.
Distraction devices typically require a strong holding plate bracket to grip the traction bar. The use of a strong holding plate bracket, however, requires the creation of a surgical flap. The creation of a surgical flap not only prolongs the time in which the patient spends in surgery, but it also lengthens the time necessary for recovery. A tooth band bracket also typically cannot be used in cases where the selected teeth are too weak to hold the band bracket or when the investing bone level around the roots of the teeth is short or periodontally involved with reabsorbed bone around the roots of the selected teeth and not strong enough to withstand the forces of distraction and the anchor load exerted by the traction forces. Further, at times the stability of the tooth band bracket against the attraction forces of the moving bony segment may be a cause for concern.
Thus, a bony bracket screw solving the aforementioned problems is desired.